creating deb package for ubuntu server 9.04 from compiling source

Question

I'm trying to build a LAMP server however because it's a dev server we have to compile php from source to ensure it's exactly the same as our host. I.e. same version of php with the same configuration and extensions.

I was wondering if it's possible to compile it/ build a deb package on my pc at home so I can just install the deb package at work. Compiling can take fairly long time and the dev server is P3 with limited ram. We're going to put more ram in but it may not be anytime soon.

My greatest worry is the processor on my machine is intel core2 and the server has a p3. Would that cause any compatibility issues

Answer 1

Yes packages you build on own machine should work on another provided that they are both the same architecture and versions of libraries.

This is a case where virtualization can be very useful. I suggest you setup a virtual machine with exactly the same set of packages as on your production host. Then build your package and transfer it back once you are confident that you have a working package.

You might even want to setup another VM. When you are building the package you may have to install additional development tools that you really won't need on your production server. But you will want to test the package you built in an environment that is the same as your production box.